1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fermentation apparatus for customizing a fermentation level and a method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, foods such as wine, soybean paste, soy sauce, kimchi, vinegar, cheese etc. are fermented under predetermined periods of time, temperature, humidity, etc. to add flavor and taste in the manufacturing process.
The fermentation method varies according to fermented food. For example, kimchi was conventionally stored in a container such as a kimchi jar to be buried in the ground, or kept for a predetermined period of time at room temperature. However, a kimchi refrigerator as shown in FIG. 1a is widely used for fermenting kimchi recently.
A kimchi refrigerator 100 operates in a fermentation mode and a refrigeration mode to ferment and refrigerate kimchi. Such a kimchi refrigerator 100 comprises one or more storage compartments formed with an accommodating space for storing kimchi therein; a main body 130 comprising a heating part for operating the storage compartments into the fermentation mode and a cooling part for operating the storage compartments into the refrigeration mode after completing the fermentation of kimchi; and a door 120 to open and close an opening of the main body 130 and close an interior of the main body 130.
As shown in FIG. 1b, a front surface of the kimchi refrigerator 100 is provided with an input/display panel 110 which comprises a power button 177 to operate the kimchi refrigerator 100; a fermentation button 171 to operate in the fermentation mode; a refrigeration button 173 to manually convert into the refrigeration mode after completing the fermentation of kimchi; and an input/display panel 110 provided with a display part 180 to display a fermentation level while operating in the fermentation mode.
As shown in FIG. 1c, an automatic fermentation button 178 may be provided according to devices, with which a user may select types of kimchi and the fermentation level. That is, if a user selects the automatic fermentation button 178, the kimchi refrigerator 100 ferments kimchi automatically until reaching the selected fermentation level, and then is converted into the refrigeration mode.
However, when fermenting kimchi in the convention method, a user should repeatedly check the taste or smell of kimchi to see if it is being fermented as a user wants.
Also, the kimchi refrigerator having the automatic fermentation function is uniformly set with types and fermentation levels of the fermented food while being manufactured, thereby providing a limited range of fermentation levels and repeating inconvenience in the conventional fermentation method if the provided fermentation level does not meet a user's demand.